Team:Newcastle

From 2013.igem.org

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We will use microfluidics to attempt genome shuffling and shape-shifting. It is easier to fuse bacteria without cell walls. Fusion will cause genetic recombination, allowing directed evolution. We will put L-forms in moulds to observe if they can take up different shapes.  
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We will use microfluidics to attempt genome shuffling and shape-shifting. It is easier to fuse bacteria without cell walls. Fusion will cause genetic recombination, allowing directed evolution. We will put L-forms in moulds to observe if they adopt different shapes.  
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Revision as of 15:46, 6 August 2013

 
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IGEM Home Newcastle University
 

Our Project


Our project focuses on the creation and applications of L-forms: bacteria that grow without a cell wall. We propose L-forms as a novel chassis for synthetic biology. Our principle BioBrick switches Bacillus subtilis cells between rod-shape and L-form.

We will use microfluidics to attempt genome shuffling and shape-shifting. It is easier to fuse bacteria without cell walls. Fusion will cause genetic recombination, allowing directed evolution. We will put L-forms in moulds to observe if they adopt different shapes.

L-forms exist symbiotically in plants, which we will visualise by growing GFP labelled L-forms inside seedlings. L-forms could be engineered to supply nutrients to their host. L-forms are osmotically sensitive, giving biosecurity that they lyse if they escape from the plant.

As outreach we reflected upon our project's implications with stakeholders, created a BioGame for the public and developed a workshop for those new to modelling. Finally, we evaluated the relationship between synthetic biology and architecture.

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Box 2

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Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Ut sed purus sem, quis auctor augue. Etiam molestie dapibus libero lacinia hendrerit. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Fusce elementum malesuada facilisis. Quisque sodales viverra massa in sollicitudin. Mauris eget massa non felis dictum porta.

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Training Week

Training Week

The team spent the first week of iGEM learning different basic lab techniques and modelling principles. Everything was documented and written up as a "Starter's Guide" to Synthetic Biology which can be found by clicking this box.

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Maecenas sapien velit, sodales ac congue pretium, scelerisque eget nunc. Aenean ut sapien sem. Aliquam erat volutpat. Quisque aliquet scelerisque lacinia. Maecenas id felis sed arcu porta pretium aliquam sit amet lacus. Fusce ac aliquam orci. Pellentesque velit lorem, elementum a tristique in, ornare sed mauris. In at mattis nisi. Donec malesuada, lectus eu varius dictum, dui mi ultrices odio, non adipiscing augue tortor non felis.

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L-forms

L-form

An L-form is a bacterium that has no cell wall. Bacterial morphology is determined by the cell wall, and so their morphology differs from the strain of bacteria from which they are derived, giving rise to a variety of cell sizes. The cell wall is important for cell division. Binary fission is a highly conserved mechanism required for proliferation of almost all cells. Due to the absence of the cell wall, L-forms are easily transformed, so we propose to use inducible L-forms of Bacillus subtilis as a novel chassis.

We are working on four themes which include: Shuffling, Recombination & Endosymbiosis; Introducing and detecting L-forms in Plants; Shape-shifting; Investigating two-component systems in L-forms. Details of the individual themes can be found under "Projects" on the main menu